


Drunk on the Lines

by WeatherEye1



Category: The Hollows - Kim Harrison
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-13
Updated: 2013-08-12
Packaged: 2017-12-23 07:58:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/923842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeatherEye1/pseuds/WeatherEye1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Perfect Blood, Rachel goes to her first lesson with Al since reconnecting with the lines. A simple pull on a ley line becomes something much more complex. Spoilers for everything, including Perfect Blood. Rated M for future adult situations and sinfully bad language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

"Don't pity her Itchy Witch, she deserves everything she gets" Al whispered into my… well, into my neck more than anything else. Goddamn it, I hadn't heard him sneak up on me again. Someone might think that I wanted him that close…

"But Al-" I started, just to be cut off by that oh so infuriating English accent.

"But nothing Rachel. She wanted rid of her children, so she summoned me to take them. Children!" Al snorted "What would I do with children? They're more useless than all your nasty little men put together." He kicked the woman and she vanished in a puff of Ever-After. I admit, I was having a harder time feeling sorry for her now. I knew that Al would have taken the children if she hadn't of messed up her circle so I still wasn't having any fuzzy feelings towards him. That she'd screwed up was luck and most definitely not Al manifesting a conscience. I put my bag down on one of the benches round the kitchen fire place and faced him, crossing my arms and hoping that I didn't look too eager to be there. The last thing I needed was Al thinking that I'd missed him.

Al started pulling on his cuffs and a sliver of fear pushed itself through my stomach. He was gearing up to something unpleasant.

"Now," He said, almost gently "where were we?" I didn't even see the backhand coming and ended up sprawled on the floor. The whole left side of my face was aching as if someone had hit me with a two by four. Al looked down at me, his goat eyes dark with anger and something else, something that I couldn't place. He tried to grab me and I scooted backwards but hells bells he was fast today. I had a sick feeling that he'd always been this good and that, before when we fought, he hadn't even been trying. The idea that Al was even stronger than I had at first assumed turned my stomach.

My back hit a cabinet and Al's hands found me, lifting me up by my jacket as if I weighed no more than Rex. His deep crimson eyes were searching my own, looking for something as his mouth twisted into a smile. I pulled a line and lost myself in the sensation for a moment, loving that I could do it again, and that I wasn't alone anymore. Unbidden, a giggle slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Al's eyes widened in what must have been shock and I couldn't help but giggle again. Dropping me, Al backed off and I slumped on the floor in a little giggling help, spindling line energy and then releasing it, just loving the sensation. In ley line terms I was doing the equivalent of tossing myself off, but I didn't care.

"Rachel?" Al said, cautiously, still not closing the gap between us. For some reason the sound of his fear only made me giggle more. I felt sugared. All I could think about was spooling the line and letting it go, feeling its song resonating through my head. It all seemed so simple now and I squashed the temptation to see if I could travel the lines. Last time hadn't gone so well and the memory of that pain kept me sat tightly in the Ever After. The unpleasant memory also helped sober me up a little and I looked back up to Al, only to crack up again at his shocked expression. Suddenly the line I was holding wobbled, filling my head with stars, and a loud pop announced the arrival of a demon.

"Gally, are you and Rachel Mariana Mor-" Newt. She must have stopped talking the moment she saw me curled up on the floor in a giggling fit, mumbling to myself about lines and sparkles and wobbling things.

"What have you done to her Aligaliarept? She's pissing about in the lines like some drunk teenager!" Newt's voice sounded hilarious to me with its indignant tone, like a scandalised school mistress. I remembered to breathe between sobs of laughter and counted it as progress. Deep inside, a small part of me was shitting itself at the insane demoness' arrival, it just hadn't reached the surface yet.

"I have no idea Newt, I swear. We got back, I sold a familiar, I hit her for lying to me and she just started laughing. I… I've never seen this before" Al sounded like a little boy lost and I felt the obscene urge to get up and give him a cuddle. So I did. He stiffened at my touch but allowed me to wrap myself around him. Newt clapped her hand to her mouth in realisation and gave a surprised giggle of her own.

"She's been completely off the lines for the last six months, correct?" Newt inquired and Al nodded in agreement, clearly still trying to work out what to do with a cuddly Rachel.

"And this is her first visit back here since she reconnected?" Al nodded once more as I began to play with his hair. It was absurdly soft.

"Well, don't you see? She's line drunk Gally, you just don't recognise it because you've never trained a child." With this information Al looked down at me in relief and his lips quirked in amusement. I wanted to kiss them and I began trying to pull his head down so I could. Al fended off my advances with one hand and turned back to Newt.

"But why just now? Surely it would have hit her the first time she reconnected with the lines?" He inquired, catching both my wrists in one meaty hand. The sane part of me tried to hide in embarrassment as I began to make little whining noises, trying to get his attention.

"The pull isn't as strong in Reality," Newt explained "Pulling on a line here is a lot more… intoxicating. You're just going to have to deal with her little eccentricities until it wears off. You are capable of that yes? Because if you can't manage even that Gally, then I will be forced to take her off you." Newt teased, stroking a finger through my hair. I craned my head, wanting her to touch my face, but she pulled away and disappeared once more.

"Oh itchy witch," Al sighed "What, in the Ever After, am I going to do with you for the next few hours hmm?" I opened my mouth to tell him a few of my own ideas but before I could make a noise he covered my lips with his hand and didn't even complain when I nipped at it.

"Sleep now dove, we'll deal with your indiscretions in the morning." His words sounded so seductive and reassuring that I did sleep, straight away. Goddess, the demon was good.


	2. 2

When I woke up even the dim candle light of Al's bedroom seemed too bright. Tink's contractual hell, I was in Al's bedroom? Bit by bit the events of the previous… whatever it was came back to me. Groaning I turned over and found myself mercifully alone under the covers. My head was thumping and my chi felt like someone had taken a belt sander to it. My mouth tasted foul and I looked around, hoping to find a pitcher of water or anything that meant I could stay curled up in bed instead of having to go search for hydration. To my utter delight there was a full glass on the nightstand and only a small bit of wiggling put it in my reach. Fully expecting it to taste mostly of Ever After I was pleasantly surprised when I could only detect the smallest, bitter hint of it. I took another gulp and wondered just how fresh this water was and just how long ago Al had been in the bedroom with me.

I was still sipping water and trying to ignore the thought of Al watching me sleep when the creepy face glyph opposite Al's bed rippled. Before I could react Pierce burst through it, ran round the bed and tried to bundle me up in his arms. My water spilled everywhere and I gave Pierce a hard kick in the legs.

"Get off me! What the hell are you doing?" I demanded when he took a step back.

"We've got to get going Mistress Witch, the hellspawn will be here soon and I want you safe on hallowed ground so he can't take you again." Whispered Pierce, urgently. There was a fresh bruise spreading across one cheek bone. He tried to grab me again, legs first, and I gave him another kick. Swearing, Pierce's gaze went back to the glyph in time for it to discharge an equally rumpled Al with some foul smelling green goo dripping down his face and chest. He wasn't wearing his coat and the goo was causing his shirt to stick onto those oh so well defined chest muscles. Tink's dildo, I was in trouble here.

Al took a second to survey the scene and then leapt at Pierce with a snarl, hands outstretched and each coated with a black glob of Ever After. With one last despairing look in my direction Pierce jumped a line and Al landed rather unceremoniously in his vacant spot, half-on and half-off the bed. For a moment we both just sat there. I was trying to calm the hell down and think of anything but being able to see the dark swirl of Al's nipple through his now translucent shirt. Willing myself to think of home I imagined what Jenks and Ivy would say if they could see me now. At the thought of Ivy my scar gave a hard twinge and I couldn't help but gasp. What was wrong with me? Every fucking thought lead back to sex.

Stillness from where Al still lay caught my attention. Looking over I found him staring at me with a predatory gleam in his eyes. Those same eyes then slid south, looking me over like something particularly tasty. I had a terrible suspicion that I was no longer wearing the clothes I'd been transported in. I had an even more terrible suspicion that I was no longer in anything resembling clothing at all. Looking down I was relieved to find that I was, in fact, clothed. Okay, so it was a lacey, white, Victorian night gown, but it was an improvement on naked. My relief stopped short though, when I realised that most of my spilled glass of water had gone down my front. The white night dress was now translucent and my hardened nipples were what was drawing Al's attention. Somehow it felt worse than being naked, more deliberate.

I reached for the bedclothes, intending to cover myself up, but Al was faster. The pressure of his hand on my wrist and the heat of his skin sent waves of pleasure through my entire body. I shuddered and gasped again. Taking my reactions to him as an invitation, Al used his other hand to push me back and down onto the bed. I tried to resist him, tried to talk, tried to do anything other than give in but it was futile. All I wanted was to let him do this. Straddling me, Al released my wrist and paused, watching my reaction. His breathing was harsh and heavy and he was radiating an almost unbearable amount of heat. After an agony of waiting where I fought myself to keep still and not to touch, Al broke the silence.

"Ask me." He growled, deep enough for the words to resonate in my belly and tickle against lower things. My mind did a double take, still clouded from keeping my hands out of Al's pants, and the confusion must have shown on my face.

"I can't do anymore unless you ask me. I'm not going to force anything. Ask me. Please Rachel, ask me" Al's words were breathy, upper class accent sliding into something more modern but still English. I could feel him trembling beside me, so very close and so very warm. The rational part of me was screaming no and reminding me that Al was a demon and a bastard and all the worst kinds of Rachel candy and that if I let him fuck me then he'd never let me leave. The rest of me, the horny and hung over witch with a stupid streak the size of Texas, was shouting "GO GO GO!" whilst jumping up and down practically tearing it's hair out. I opened my mouth to refuse, say no but instead what came out was-

"Please."

Al didn't need to be told twice. His mouth swooped down to meet mine as his hands raced to my breasts, thumbs rubbing over my nipples. The kiss was fierce and savage and when I moaned Al moaned back in a deep, rumbling bass which had my hips bucking upwards. The kiss broke and I inhaled, badly needing air, and I found the tang of burnt amber everywhere. Instead of choking I couldn't get enough of it, inhaling deeply as Al chuckled and lowered his lips to my nipple and sucked it through the flimsy fabric of the nightgown. I exhaled a moan and my own, treacherous, hands buried themselves in Al's hair.

"Ahh… Ahh… A… Al," I finally managed to say, still intoxicated by the scent of burnt amber and horny demon.

"Mmmmm?" Al rumbled against my nipple, closing his teeth around it and applying just enough pressure to make me moan again. One of his hands was creeping down my side and towards the hem of my nightgown and I tried to ignore it as I phrased a question in my head.

"Why does it smell so good here all of a sudden?" I couldn't help but be a little proud that I'd gotten the sentence out in one piece. Al gave my nipple another nip and then looked up at me. His red eyes gave me shivers but I was damn well going to get my answer.

"Hormones itchy witch. You understand those right?" He sounded more than a little irritated and before I could ask him anymore questions he bit down on my breast. My thoughts scattered as I gasped and writhed beneath him. One of his hands had finally found where the nightgown ended and was now making a slow ascent back up my leg on the inside of the cloth. I gave up trying to think and started to just enjoy myself. It had been far too long.

A very sudden, very loud and very irritating bonging noise brought me crashing back to reality. At the sound of it Al went still and his hand stopped tugging at my panties. He mumbled something around my nipple that sounded a lot like "putrid mother fucking puss buckets" and raised himself up and off me. I just lay there in a frustrated daze and watched him as he strode across the room, still cursing to himself, and hit the face glyph. The bonging stopped and I sort of hoped Al would come back. Instead he turned to me with a rueful smile and, in a puff of Ever After, we were both dressed.

"What the hell?" I blurted out, not giving a damn that I was showing Al how very much I wanted him.

"Sorry dove. That was my Don't Fuck Rachel or Newt Will Kill Me alarm. I wasn't very pleased either." Al looked more than a little embarrassed and I was glad. I was throbbing all over with lust and he still looked damn good. He had a point though, if we slept together and Newt killed Al, then there was nothing standing in the way of me becoming her student. The whole situation sucked ass.

"It's actually somewhat fortunate that we were stopped now little witch. Aside from impending death, we have a custody hearing to attend to in, oh, about four minutes time?" Al grinned.

"What?!"


	3. 3

"Tell me again why I need a custody hearing?" I asked, hanging on to Al's sleeve like a lost toddler. I wasn't proud of hanging onto him but the room was full of demons and they were all looking at me like I was something to eat. From the moment we'd landed on the big, demonised FIB glyph people had been sniffing me and making appreciative noises. I didn't like it one bit and there was no way I was leaving Al's side.

"Because you got line drunk itchy witch." Al explained, now sounding a wee bit impatient with me. He wasn't being entirely fair, seeing as the first time he'd explained I'd been too frustrated to listen properly. Apparently being "line drunk" or whatever meant that I was acting like a child, in demon terms at least. According to demon law no one could be considered fully mature until they'd mastered the lines completely. My adorable little performance, with Newt as witness, had thrown me back a few years in demon terms. The demonic collective, courtesy of Newt, now wanted to assign me a legal guardian. Al seemed fairly confident that they would appoint him to the position but I wasn't so sure. Ending up with Newt was looking more and more likely the longer we stood and waited for proceedings to begin.

"Relax Rachel," Al whispered, putting a protective arm around me that I didn't bother to push away. Gods forbid, it was actually kind of comforting, having him there. "Just tell them that you want to stay with daddy and all will be well. It's just a formality." He'd been going on about this daddy thing since we'd left his bedroom, liking how much it bothered me. It was also abundantly clear that he was enjoying being able to touch me without being chewed out. I felt like he was showing off to the other demons but there was no way in hell I was risking being left alone.

The courtroom that we'd been shown into was huge, but the ceiling was disproportionately low and it gave the place an air of oppression. Being packed with what had to be at least three hundred demons, all perspiring and mouth breathing, didn't help any. Al and I were stood on a low dais in the middle of the room. There were chairs laid out for us but Al had taken one look at them and opted to stand. I didn't blame him, they were the same brand of orange plastic monstrosity found everywhere in the FIB. To one side sat an impressive desk and behind it Dali was tapping away on a laptop, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the room and occasionally glancing up at a cheap clock that hung in mid-air. My stomach was tying itself in knots and I knew that there could only be one person we could possibly be waiting for.

As if on cue, Newt appeared in a small pop and puff of Ever After. She had opted for her usual androgynous appearance complete with robes and cap. There was a general intake of breath, followed by a series of pops, telling me that more than one of our observers had run for the metaphorical hills. Barely glancing at Al and I, Newt's gaze fixed itself on the seating arrangements. Newt gave a huff of distaste and began to chant quietly to herself. When she was done the orange monstrosities were replaced by three comfy leather armchairs. They put Ivy's comfy chair to shame and I had a huge desire to plonk myself down in one and get acquainted. Unfortunately for me the whole rest of the courtroom was still standing, including Dali, and I was guessing that there was some kind of protocol. When Newt parked her butt everyone relaxed and sat down and I snuggled into the farthest armchair from Dali, still hanging on to Al's sleeve. Someone in the front row had the guts to make a cutesy comment but, with a wave of Newt's hand, his plastic chair became rather empty. Damn, she was pissed.

"Dali!" barked Newt, apparently in complete possession of all her faculties "Why is this courtroom full of… Spectators? I requested a private hearing." Dali shrank back into his seat and tried to disappear before swallowing loudly.

"All apologies Ma'am. A petition was gathered and seeing as the current guardian requested an open hearing… The petition garnered a significant amount of signatures." On any other day, at any other court case, I would have been delighted to see Dali squirm. I might even have had the energy to be angry at Al for publicising the case. Today though, I was just scared and my head hurt and Newt was far too close for comfort. I drew my legs up onto the seat and found Al's hand to hold instead of his sleeve. Fuck being mature and not relying on a demon, I needed comfort and he was the only one offering any in this horrible place. Al's large hand enclosed mine and gave it a comforting squeeze. Looking toward him I noticed a fine sheen of sweat had broken out all over his exposed skin and wondered how it would feel to lean over and lick it off and then- Bad Rachel. Not appropriate courtroom thoughts. Goddess, whatever it was it was still wrong with me.

Dali stood up and puffed out his chest, then pulled out a small microphone and tapped on it.

"Order!" The hubbub quietened and then ceased completely when Newt shot the crowd a filthy look.

"This hearing is called to determine the guardianship of one Rachel Mariana Morgan. The prosecution claims that her current guardian is not equipped to care for an adolescent and that Rachel Mariana Morgan should become a ward of the courts. The defendant, the aforesaid Rachel Mariana Morgan's current guardian by default, claims to be able to ensure the welfare of his ward and vows to bring her up in accordance with demonic values and traditions. We will hear from both prosecution and defence and, of course, Rachel Mariana Morgan herself who, as an adolescent, has a right to show preference of guardianship."

If Dali took one breath in the entire speech I didn't see it, he looked more concerned with Newt's eyes boring into him than actually breathing. The court was still deathly silent, watching eagerly. Dali cleared his throat and continued.

"The court calls Newt, the agent of the prosecution."

Dali resumed his seat and Newt took the floor. Unlike Dali she had no microphone and, when she began speaking, it was clear she didn't need one. In a voice that rang out like church bells on a clear day, Newt stated her case.

"Since Rachel Mariana Morgan was declared a demon we have seen nothing but incompetence on the behalf of her current guardian, Algaliarept. Not only has she been incarcerated, in a prison where the inmates were routinely magically neutered," Newt paused for shock value. It wasn't lost on our audience. "Not only that, she has been kidnapped, summoned, died and been resurrected, hunted with dogs, pulled on the lines hard enough to almost kill them both, got herself completely and utterly line drunk and continually rebuffed his unwanted romantic advances. As a guardian, Algaliarept is completely unsuitable. I request that Rachel Mariana Morgan become a ward of the courts and that her tutelage be taken over by myself."

Satisfied, Newt let the comfy leather chair swallow her up again. To their credit, not one demon had cheered at the mention of "unwanted romantic advances". Dali allowed a few moments for conversation before gesturing to Al.

"The court calls Algaliarept, for the defence. It should be noted that he is the current guardian and tutor of Rachel Mariana Morgan."

When Al stood and tried to move forward I realised that I'd have to let go of his hand. Reluctantly I loosened my grip, but not before letting the whole room see just how much I didn't want to. Newt glowered and I felt smug, wanting to beat her at her own game. If she was going to declare me incompetent then I damn well wasn't going to give her custody too.

"Ladies and gentlemen" Al began "Ladies and gentlemen. I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to say that again. We shouldn't forget that Rachel is one of two surviving female demons and the only one who can hold a conversation without wandering off or killing someone." Newt made an enraged noise but Al pretended to ignore her.

"We also shouldn't forget who brought Rachel down into the Ever After and helped her to access her full potential. Me. Without me, Rachel would never have been demonic enough to have any of those horrible things happen to her. Without me, Rachel never would have become demonic enough to get line drunk. In my care she has thrived and gained power. Children, teenagers, cause trouble. They err, the do stupid things, and to confine them is only to expect worse when they finally escape. Besides, Rachel herself requested my tutelage and has been very happy in my care. As to those romantic advances, they haven't been unwanted at all."

At this, I turned pink and wished real hard that my seat would eat me. It didn't work. Al glanced at me and winked before continuing.

"Also, my friends, my ladies and gentlemen, we must remember that if my little demoness becomes ward of the courts we will be exposing her to Newt. Does anyone here recall what Newt's track record with females of our species is? Anyone?" The muttering and shuffling and staring at the floor gave Al all the answers he needed and he flopped back beside me with a satisfied purr. I was just beginning to relax when Newt stood again and Dali acknowledged her with a nod.

"Might I remind the court that Al couldn't control his familiar, Gordian Nathaniel Pierce, who has removed Rachel Mariana Morgan on several occasions and hurt her on many more?" Her voice was still clear, but there was a slight note of desperation in it now. Dali waved a hand at Al and he took the floor, smirking.

"The same Gordian Nathaniel Pierce that you, Newt, purchased off me not six months ago? And who broke into my rooms tonight in an attempt to kidnap Rachel once again? Well, if you can't contain him what hope have the rest of us? As you can see, my ward is still here and has not been snatched, which she may have been if left in your capable hands." Al's words were met with gasps and exclamations.

"Do you have proof?" Newt's voice had regained some of its authority and she held her chin high.

"Why of course. Dali," Al turned to the demon and his laptop "Do you have the security feed file I emailed to you before we started?" He looked like the pixy with the honey and dangerously close to gloating. If looks could kill, Newt would have laid the whole damn room out dead, but as it was even her best glares weren't shutting the rabble up. With a few taps Dali had a grainy security feed, quite obviously depicting me sleeping in Al's bedroom, projected up on the wall. We all watched as I woke up and looked for the glass of water. Several demons in the crowd whistled and catcalled when they saw the nightgown and I hid my head in my hands.

When the feed got to me kicking Pierce there were cheers and that was the point I expected them to stop showing it. They didn't. In fact, Dali let the whole thing run right through to Al's "Don't Fuck Rachel or Newt Will Kill You" alarm. The chair still wasn't swallowing me up and I wanted to die, right there, with hundreds of horny demons looking right at me and Newt chuckling all the way down to her brocade slippers. It might even have beaten appearing naked and holding elf porn in terms of embarrassment. I was just thanking every deity, spirit and whatever else I knew that Ivy and Jenks weren't there to witness my utter and complete humiliation. Even Al didn't look all that pleased that his conquest was being broadcast. He could suck it up, he was probably upset that the whole demon world knew how Newt had emasculated him.

Dali cleared his throat and the room quieted down again.

"Rachel Mariana Morgan, your testimony please." A smile split his face as he called me, an ugly, boys club, lecherous smile. There was nowhere to run so I stood up and faced them all. I was shaking and very, terribly aware of every single pair of goat slitted eyes upon me.

"I, Rachel Mariana Morgan, want to stay with Daddy" FUCK. My hands went up over my mouth as the whole room burst into raucous laughter. "AL! ALGALIAREPT! I want to stay with Algaliarept. I want him to be my guardian!" I shouted, as fast and as loud as I could, but the damage had been done. Al was rolling around in his chair, clutching his sides with tears pouring down his face. Dali was crying into his laptop. Even Newt had a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth as she raised an eyebrow at me. I just stood there, mortified, wanting to curl up and die and knowing that I would never, ever, ever live this down. I was going to live forever. Everyone in this room was going to live forever. No one was ever going to forget that I had called Algaliarept "Daddy" just after watching a tape of us kissing and him sucking my nipples and me loving it. At least Jenks wasn't there.


	4. 4

I huddled back into the comfy leather chair. After the courtroom had regained its composure Dali had transported Al, Newt and I back to his office whilst the votes were being cast. Technically it was only supposed to be me in there with Dali, but Al had flat out refused to let me out of his sight. Then Newt got pissy about Al and I being out of HER sight so we'd all made the merry jump to Dali's beach. The three of us sat in an awkward silence whilst Dali worked on his laptop. Actually, I was fairly sure he wasn't working. From my chair I could just about see his screen and it looked like he was logged in to some demonic social networking site. I figured that my slip of the tongue was probably top in their trending topics.

After a couple of minutes of Dali tapping, Al clearing his throat and my general despondency, Newt pulled a book out of her robes and settled in to read. We'd all be called back to the courtroom when enough of the demon collective had voted. Apparently it had been known to take weeks but, as Dali reassured me, there was interest in this case and he didn't see it taking more than an hour. I was glad, I really didn't want to know what I'd do if I had to spend weeks in Dali's office, pretty as it was. Every time the little boat bobbed into view I thought about Trent lying in it, all battered and bloody, and from there it was a one way guilt trip with a healthy bout of home-sickness thrown in for good measure.

We'd waited for about half an hour, by my count anyway, when the sound of a gong startled me from my little puddle of shame. The others all got to their feet and Al offered me a hand. I took it, hating myself, and we jumped back to the courtroom. I swore under my breath when I saw that it was even fuller than before. They'd gotten rid of the chairs and it was now standing room only. The whole place stank of burnt amber and, underneath it, the bitter tang of B.O. Pulling closer to Al, I looked round him to see how Newt was coping. She looked like some kind of caged animal and, by Tink's dildo, I actually didn't blame her. Most of the leers and dirty chuckles were directed at me but it wasn't lost on the horde surrounding us that Newt was female too. Realising just how dangerous she had to be survive in this world solidified the fear curling in the pit of my stomach. I felt sick.

Even Al looked a little nervous as we settled back into our seats, keeping an arm around me even though it must have been uncomfortable for him. It was weird, and stupid, but some part of me wanted him to be protecting Newt too, though she probably didn't need it. This crowd just seemed so… riled up. I was reasonably sure that Al could jump us away if things got ugly, but then what if they followed us? I'd seen what a mob could do and how many rules they'd stomp all over. Hell, there were people at the witches convention who'd wanted me burned.

The room got quieter when an official looking demon in a shirt and tie made his way towards the stage with an envelope clutched in one blocky hand. He was sweating and looked stressed but it didn't quite conceal just how excited he was. A path opened up for him with nudges and whispers. He couldn't move fast enough for me, I wanted out. Dali leant down and took the envelope before standing. He didn't even have to call for order because the whole room had fallen eerily silent. On opening the envelope, Dali took a moment to scan the results before clearing his throat to announce them. The whole room seemed to lean toward him and the collective held its breath.

"The votes have been counted. Quorum was reached within the first three minutes. Over ten thousand members of the collective voted." Tink's contractual hell, I hadn't even imagined that there were that many demons. Dali continued.

"The custody of Rachel Mariana Morgan has been decided. Custody will be awarded to…" Dali paused, clearly enjoying the moment. I wanted to smack his smug face in. Al let out a low growl and Newt clicked her tongue. Dali's smug smile faded slightly and his gaze returned to the printout.

"As I was saying. Custody will be awarded to Algaliarept." He announced. The collective let out its breath and I slumped back into my chair. Al wore a quiet, satisfied smile. Newt was unnaturally still and it dampened my relief. I'd have bet anything that she'd had an idea. She was going to fuck us, me and Al, over another way. I swallowed hard when she stood up, instantly commanding attention. The demons all wanted to see how she'd taken the most recent obstacle to owning my ass.

"Well then," Newt began, with a sickly smile "It seems that Rachel will be happiest with Gally and, as I'm in no mood to deny the collective, I suppose I should deal with a few issues still outstanding." I really didn't like where this was going. All the demons were still again, hanging on Newt's every word.

"As you all now know, I threatened death to anyone that fucked our little demoness. I've decided to rescind that statement. In fact, I'd be thrilled if Rachel began pushing out little demons as soon as possible."

I was sure there was something I wasn't quite getting here. The way every demon was now looking at me, even Dali, combined with just how wide Newt was smiling made me feel incredibly nervous. A few demons were inching towards the platform and Al had gone very, very still. His mouth met my ear in a harsh whisper.

"Let me jump you, now!" I didn't think, just nodded my head and put a bubble round my thoughts.

We rematerialized back in Al's bedroom. I had just enough time to remember that Al had a free pass to fuck me now, willing or not, before he tossed me onto the bed. I tensed to meet the oncoming storm but it never came. Looking up, I found Al hurrying round the room lighting candles and tracing glyphs in the air. He spat a Latin word at the door glyph and I felt about five layers of ley line protection go up around the room. I was just about to ask why, when it dawned on me. Newt had just told the whole demon collective that not only could they have sex with me but she would be "thrilled" if I got pregnant. She'd essentially told a whole plane of horny demons that they could go rape the only other girl and get a pat on the back. Al was most likely reinforcing his protections against raiders. I curled up and tried not to burst into tears whilst he continued putting up barriers.

Whatever drunken sex trip I'd been on earlier was well and truly over. Terrified that Al would be coming back to finish what we'd started, I wrapped myself up in the sheets. Today had been humiliating and difficult enough that I didn't care about being a green silk cocoon with red hair. It wasn't nearly long enough before an Al sized weight hit the mattress and warm arms wrapped themselves around my cocoon. He breathed into my hair and I started shaking. The hands were roving slightly and I tried to scoot away but Al just held on tighter. Oh good goddess he was a lot bigger than me.

"Get off!" I squeaked, through the fabric, but Al continued to squeeze me. One hand made its way up my body, slowly, and pulled the sheets away from my face. Red, goat-slitted eyes met my own and I tried to be furious but I don't think Al bought it. Instead of being suitably cowed he smirked and pressed his lips to mine. After losing my train of thought for a moment I tried to pull back a little. Unfortunately, I'd wrapped myself up too well. The silk burrito restricted my movements and Al closed the few inches I'd gained and started the kiss again. I was determined not to respond to him this time. Unfazed by my no-cooperation, Al flicked his tongue against my lips. My resolve cracked a little and, with a small moan, I let him into my mouth. Stupid witch.


	5. 5

Al began coaxing the bed covers out of my clenched hands to unwind them. We will still kissing, though it was much less desperate than before. He broke away from my mouth and began making a trail of kisses down my neck and over my collar bone. Mercifully he was kissing the scar free side of my neck. My head was clearing as the fear from the courtroom faded and I realised exactly how stupid I was being. Yes it felt good and yes I wanted to fuck but I couldn't trust any of it. Al must've noticed that I was reacting less because he upped the game, biting slightly on my shoulder and tugging harder at the covers.

"Al…" I tried to say, but his mouth found mine again and he seemed intent on me not finishing. Gods, Al's tongue was like fire as it explored my mouth and I tried desperately not to give in to it. Finally he broke it off, if only to breathe. I took advantage of the pause.

"Stop" I croaked, barely managing to make my voice louder than a whisper. Al just went still, eyes closed, with his hands still balled up in green silk. Pressing his forehead to mine he breathed me in before speaking.

"Why?" The tone of his voice was stark in contrast to what we'd just been doing. It was cold, demanding, his demon voice. I was having a hard time remembering why with his face inches from mine. He looked vulnerable with his eyes closed. I wanted to kiss each eye lid.

"I.. I don't feel safe. The demons…" I said, my voice trembling. It felt like an eternity before Al gave any kind of response. A muscle in his cheek twitched and I tensed, expecting a blow. Instead, Al pressed his forehead to mine.

"You don't feel safe?" Al growled, low and guttural, no trace of the upper classes left in his accent. This was different, usually he got more clipped and posh the angrier he was. Even though I tried not to I started shaking. Different with Al was not good.

"Did Gordian Nathaniel Pierce make you feel safe, witch? In that hole, with the dogs after you?" He demanded, still low and guttural. I had no answer to that.

"How about Kisten? The vampire? Did those plastic caps make you feel safe?" His voice was rising slightly in volume now as Al moved his face away from mine. His eyes were still closed. I was still shaking.

"And Ivy? When she bit you, did you feel safe?" Al all but snarled the last word before pushing himself off the bed and stalking across the room. I just lay there and tried to reason it out, hoping that if I was passive he wouldn't notice me. Fat chance. I only just managed to dive out the way of a chair that came crashing into one of the bedposts. Hiding under the bed was looking really tempting. Before I'd managed to wiggle free of the ridiculous amounts of green silk, Al was on me again. Bundling one hand in my hair he used the other to rip the covers away in one great wrench.

"Tell me," Al said, dragging me over to the door glyph "Would you feel safer outside? With them? All those demons who are just desperate to make your acquaintance?" He pressed my face to the glyph, hard. The hand in my hair was hurting and I was having trouble getting enough air. I didn't think he'd really throw me out but then again…

"Well?" He barked, yanking me back to face him. I shook my head mutely and tried to wriggle out of Al's grip but he wasn't having any of it. Focusing his attention on the door glyph he spat out a single word.

"Foramen"

I knew it was Latin, but the meaning was beyond me. Al stood back a little, pulling me with him. Slowly, a circular hole formed in the glyph. Through it I could see an entrance hall, crowded with demons. I stiffened, not wanting them to see me, and Al laughed.

"They can't see you Rachel. I am fairly certain that, if they could, they would be hammering the door down. As it stands, they are merely waiting for you to emerge." Al was regaining some of his class, clipping words and standing up straighter. I hoped to high heaven that it was a good thing. I didn't want to go out there, with them.

Al let go of my hair and set to straightening his cuffs. I stumbled over to the chair that hadn't gone flying and sunk into it, still working on the oxygen thing. I wanted so badly just to go home and hide on hallowed ground but I didn't know what time it was. Would Al let me go now? Or would he decide it wasn't safe enough. Looking back to the demon, I saw that he was now the picture of calm. His jacket and cuffs were straight and the little glasses were back. Al strode over to the downed chair and, after inspecting it, put it back facing mine. He didn't sit but continued to tidy up. Al being calm didn't make me feel any calmer, I didn't know what was coming next. I knew I could defend myself, but I didn't know if that would mean losing Al as my guardian and ending up with Newt.

After throwing the ripped bed covers into the fireplace and replacing them with red ones, Al finally sat down in front of me. Not seeing his eyes behind the glasses really got to me, I couldn't read him. He just sat there and looked at me for a few moments before speaking.

"So, we have established that I am safer than a horde of demons bent on raping you senseless. Forgive me if that doesn't feel like progress." There was a bitter taint to his voice and it sounded ugly and petulant on him.

"It irritates me that, after all that I have done, you still don't trust me. I've had over a hundred offers for you in the last half hour alone. Many of them would put me back on my feet with my mansion for a very long time. Tell me why I shouldn't accept, given that you obviously do not feel comfortable with me." Al asked, voice still calm and level, but holding the bitterness.

"Bitter doesn't suit you" I said, not bothering to keep the anger out of my voice. I would not be bullied into sleeping with him. Al stiffened but remained quiet.

"I don't owe you sex and, let's face it, everything you've ever done for me was to enlarge your own goddamn power base. For fucks sake Al, a drunken make out session doesn't equal consent! You took advantage of me." Yep, I was riding the anger now.

"I don't remember you complaining." Al smirked and I wanted to smack his big fucking demon mouth.

"I was drunk! Or hung-over, but I wasn't thinking straight at all. You can't take that and think it means I'm just going to fuck you the minute we get back here!" Al was still smirking at me, but it looked a little forced. He stood abruptly and extended a hand to me. I didn't take it. I didn't trust Al as far as I could throw him right now.

"Relax itchy witch. If you aren't coming to my bed then we should get on with your lessons. It isn't long until you have to leave." Al said, apparently back to normal. I tentatively took his hand and he transported us to the kitchen.

I didn't know what was going on in Al's head but I was getting really fucking tired of the mood swings. For the next couple of hours he taught me like nothing had happened, focusing on all the uses for the door glyph and the Latin trigger words. There was no flirting, weird sniffing or inappropriate touching. We even had the toasted cheese sandwiches. It was suspicious and I didn't dare relax. It could only be a matter of time until he flipped again. I was glad that Pierce wasn't around though, I didn't want to think about what Al would have done to him.

Around half an hour before it was time to go home Al asked me to grab my calling mirror. He took it from me without any of his usual hand strokes or lewd looks and I had that uncomfortable feeling again. Since when was Al completely professional?

"I'm going to change the settings so that only Newt, Dali or I can contact you on this, alright?" Al asked. I nodded and for a moment his eyes met mine. The glasses had slid down his nose so I got the full hit of them. The deep red orbs were so full of fury that my breath caught in my throat.

"Al.." I began, but he just pushed the glasses back up and went on fiddling with my mirror.

"There, now you need to confirm what I've done. Just connect with it and accept the changes." Al said and his voice gave away nothing of what I'd seen under the glasses. I wasn't about to push a demon into a heart to heart, so I took the mirror and placed my fingers on the correct glyphs. With the connection came all sorts of mental prods and pokes. I okayed Al's new settings and then had a look at a shiny new "messages" poke. It told me that I had over three thousand new messages so I put the mirror down.

"How come I haven't been sneezing my face off?" I asked Al, who hadn't moved since giving me the mirror back.

"Oh, I blocked all incoming calls to occupants of this house. Didn't think you'd mind, most of them would just have been someone breathing down the phone or pictures of cocks." Al answered, his tone still light and, now, a little bit teasing. He chuckled when I made a face and put the mirror away.

"If you do get a call though," Al continued, "please answer it. I might need to tell you to run to hallowed ground. That, or you could end up with an angry Newt in your church because you didn't answer her." I shuddered at the memory.

"Sure. Answer the sneezes." I joked, but it was hollow. How many demons were going to come after me at night? How many could reasonably get out? I really didn't want to have to hide in the church till this all died down.

"How many demons do you think are coming after me?" I asked Al, my voice smaller than I'd like. The blessing on my church hadn't held up to Newt and she was just one demon. How would it survive against ten, or twenty? What if they tried to burn it down? It was winter and the pixies wouldn't survive outside if their home was destroyed.

"I'm not sure. I don't think many of my brothers will pay to make the trip but if they are summoned… They've just been given the chance to have children again, we shouldn't underestimate the temptation that presents." Al answered and there was a touch of weariness in his tone.

"The sun has set, we should leave." He said, and extended his hand once more. I took it and Al wrapped his arms around me. For second, before we dematerialised, I thought I felt him inhale the scent of my hair.


	6. 6

We appeared in my kitchen and Al released me. Taking a moment to readjust I saw Ivy in her seat with Jenks on her shoulder. Ivy was tense, there was next to no brown rim round her pupils. Jenks had gone all Peter Pan. I looked in the direction of Ivy's glare and found, to my absolute and utter shock, Trent standing by the fridge. He backed up a step on seeing Al and put the maimed hand behind his back. I wondered if Ivy and Jenks hadn't told him that Al usually came in with me on purpose.

Al chuckled and I turned back to him with a warning glare.

"Can't you just leave already?" I snapped. Al's face went blank and the fear came back. Then he looked at Trent and grinned.

"I only want to hurt him a little bit my itchy witch, at least until I can carry his darling girls off. You never let me have any fun" Al goaded and Trent stiffened. I really didn't want a fight in the kitchen, I felt like I couldn't go a week without someone trashing it. I shook my head at Trent to try and tell him not to rise to it and for once the elf seemed to understand. Al still didn't look like he was leaving.

"Was there something else?" I asked him, not bothering to keep the irritation out of my voice. I wasn't on his clock now and I wanted a shower so bad it hurt. Back in reality I was all too aware of stinking of burnt amber. Unfortunately I still wasn't reacting normally to the scent of it. It smelt good. Mixed with the cinnamon and wine of Trent and the incense of Ivy it was like an orgy in my nose.

"Actually, yes." Al replied, breaking me from my reverie of sniffing. I blushed slightly, hoping no one had noticed.

"Trenton Aloysius Kalamack, Miss Tamwood, Bug," Al continued, nodding to each of them in turn and Jenks stiffened. To my surprise he didn't go off on one, just sat there with red wings dusting heavily onto Ivy's shoulder. I wondered if he was helping her with the whole not vamping out thing.

"Rachel is under considerable threat from all manner of demons at this time. Should they catch her they will drag her off home with them and then force her to procreate. They won't face charges for it. It would be prudent to keep her on holy ground after dark. If she must go out then she'll need an escort." Said Al. He was straightening his cuffs which told me he wasn't all that relaxed. That was fine, neither was I.

"Al!" I yelled, "I don't need you to tell them for me, I can do it myself. Now go the hell away." The demon seemed to want to say something more but he disappeared instead. The kitchen was silent.

"Go shower Rachel," said Ivy "We'll talk about this after. And calm down." There was no brown left around her pupils now and Jenks was whispering something into her ear. Ignoring Trent, who was still looking awkward by the fridge, I stalked to my bathroom.

After a frustratingly short shower, because I didn't want Trent in my house longer than he needed to be, I came out to find they'd all moved into the sanctuary. Bis was waiting on the doorjamb for me and I put an arm up for him. He fluttered down and curled round my shoulders gratefully as I put a circle round my mind to shut out the lines.

"Hi Ms. Rachel, nice trip?" Bis asked and I shook my head. His tail curled a little tighter round my neck but he didn't ask any more questions. Smart kid.

Ivy was curled into her chair and Trent was stood by the piano. Did the man ever sit down? Whatever, not my problem. I didn't appreciate being checked up on. If he'd come with another job offer I was going to shove it so far up his elf ass that he'd be coughing up paper for weeks.

Ivy stiffened in her chair and gave me a look. Right, calm. It was hard, being angry was a whole load easier than being terrified. I parked myself on the sofa and waited for someone else to start the conversation. It was childish but I felt like a teenager about to be put under curfew. It wasn't even my fault this time.

"What did Al mean Rache?" Jenks piped up from the coffee table. There was a crash from the kitchen followed by pixie laughter and he winced, giving me an apologetic look.

"Don't sweat it Jenks, I'd rather they were in there." I told him, and he relaxed.

"So…?" Jenks prodded again and I sighed, not sure where to begin. Hey guys, I got drunk on ley line energy and the made out with Al and then Newt told all the demons they could rape me and then Al got all pissy cause I didn't wanna bump uglies. Hell no.

"Uhhh... Newt got pissed and lifted the ban on demons sleeping with me, then told them she'd be thrilled if I got pregnant. Al…" I stumbled on his name, thinking about how much fury I'd seen behind the glasses. "Al thinks that some of them, the demons, might come and try to grab me." Trent's eyes narrowed, he'd noticed my stumble over Al. Great. Ivy was motionless, clearly still taking it all in. Jenks buzzed angrily and flew up in front of me.

"I knew it was a bad idea. Tink's pink dildo Rachel, can't you go five fairy farting minutes without someone trying to grab your stupid witch ass?" Jenks exclaimed, hands on hips in full Peter Pan mode. He was wearing his sword and I wondered what trouble he'd been expecting. Maybe it was for Trent's benefit but I'd figured they were done with the macho posturing after Seattle.

"Ivy, tell her she's a stupid witch" Ordered Jenks. Ivy still hadn't moved.

"You're a stupid witch Rachel" Repeated Ivy, in a monotone, clearly not really listening to the angry pixy.

"Farting fucking fairies, you're no help vampire" buzzed Jenks, before turning to Trent "You'll tell her she's stupid right?" he appealed. The businessman remained impassive.

"Actually, I'm not sure this one is her fault. It's not like Rachel can control a mad demon." Trent replied, his mouth quirking into a small smile. Apparently he was on my side. He was definitely going to make a job offer, there was no other reason he'd stick up for me. Ivy shifted and we all turned to look at her.

"I'm with Trent on this. We should be looking at protection strategies, not telling Rachel what an idiot she is." Said Ivy. Jenks buzzed in irritation and settled back on the coffee table. It was kind of nice not to be treated like a kid for once. I was even feeling a little rosier towards Trent. Maybe we could have pie again sometime.

Trent moved to perch on the arm of my sofa. He was wearing his casual clothes and I picked out a grubby little handprint on the sleeve of his shirt. Fatherhood still looked really good on him and the cute little handprint was oddly attractive. He wasn't hiding his bad hand and the show of trust made me glow a little. We were getting the real Trent, not Mr. Businessman philanthropist or merciless biodrugs dealer.

"So long as Rachel stays in the church after dark and keeps the were, Wayde was it? With her during the day, then I don't forsee any successful kidnappings." Said Trent, thoughtfully. Oh goody, Wayde had a concrete reason to be with me all the time. Honestly though, I kind of wanted him around. Since I'd started taking him seriously I actually found Wayde's presence comforting.

"I'll try and make sure either Jenks, Wayde or I are around after dark for when she needs to use the kitchen" added Ivy. She'd grabbed a pen and paper from the coffee table and appeared to be making some kind of rota. Jenks flitted up to her shoulder and made approval noises. Seriously, a rota? Was I that bad at keeping myself safe? Slumping back in the chair I let the three of them plan my life over the next week. Wayde wasn't due back for a bit which was a small mercy, I'd bet on him trying to put me under house arrest.

"Rachel? Could I talk to you for a moment?" Asked Trent, gesturing to the corridor, "In private, please." The tips of his ears were a little pinker than usual and his posture was tense. My tummy did a little flip, Trent didn't usually make job offers in private. I wasn't sure I was going to like this "talk". I got to my feet and followed Trent out of the sanctuary. Ivy and Jenks were concentrating far too hard on their rota. Traitors.

Trent was waiting in the living room with his back to the door. The place still needed decorating properly. There was undisguised tension in the line of his shoulders where his shirt stretched across them. I stifled the urge to run my hands over them. Goddamn I had to stop thinking with my crotch and stop being a stupid witch and grow up and –

Trent turned and crossed the distance between us whilst I was telling myself off. His hands went to my shoulders as he leant down and pressed his lips to mine. Oh.


	7. 7

She twists against me and her hips sway in a slow, delicious rhythm. We're barely touching but I flare at every point of contact. She radiates heat and I'm burning and still aching for more. When we kiss it is deep and savage and her fire fills me. I fall back onto cushions and the heavy scent of redwood puffs up to surround me. It's my oxygen. The world is veiled behind a curtain of curly red hair that brushes me, soft as the wings of blue butterflies. Our mouths meet and I groan around her tongue. She straddles me and I could die, right here, not regretting a thing. Trailing kisses and teeth along my cheek, she meets my ear with her lips.

"Gally?" but that's wrong. She doesn't call me that.

"Gally? Wake up, now."

I woke with a jolt to find that it wasn't Rachel straddling me, it was Newt. Freezing in place, I bit back my surprise and the curses that came with it. Sweat beaded on my forehead and chest and I was still painfully erect. Knowing Newt could feel it I tried to think of other things. Cocking her head, the crazy bitch ground against me and, in spite of myself, my hips rose in response. There was no fucking way I was ever going to put my cock in the psycho. Her cunt probably had teeth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, trying to sound myself and ignore her hip movements. Even thinking of Dali's beer belly wasn't helping.

"Just wanted to check how you were getting on Gally." Newt answered and ran her tongue over those little square teeth. It wasn't lost on me but I wasn't going to thrust again. She wasn't going to have the fucking satisfaction.

"As you can see Newt I'm in top form, thank you for asking. You really needn't visit like this, I don't want to put you out." I said, managing to stay crisp and cool. Oh gods above and below, I was naked under the sheets. It had never really been a problem before. Newt bent down, placing her face centimetres from my own. I had to fight all my baser instincts to move my head away from her. Those eyes really were black and flat. They told no secrets.

"It's no trouble. I like dropping in on you" she said and it was no more than a breathy whisper. My cock was finally following orders and, as glad as I was, I knew Newt would probably take it as an insult. Of course I'd be dreaming of Rachel when Newt came calling. Even the subconscious version of that sodding witch managed to fuck my life with a fucking frying pan. Newt must have noticed that Al Junior wasn't dancing to her tune anymore. With a grumpy huff she slid off me and moved to sit, still on my bed, with her legs crossed like a child. I held still, moving at any speed was a great way to get Newt to blast the arse off you. At least she was looking lucid.

"You were dreaming about her." She stated, black eyes daring me to look away or lie.

"Yes." I answered. No point sugar coating anything or ballsing around with it. She'd have the truth one way or another.

"You're in love with her." Another statement. This time I did look away. I couldn't face the question. Newt laughed in a harsh bark that made me jump and sent shivers down my spine.

"Oh you delicious fool Gally, you beautiful idiot. Did you get to fuck her after the hearing? Did you consummate your love?" Newt's tone was mocking enough that I knew the answer. Whore must have looked into my surveillance feeds. Hatred bubbled up in my chest and I struggled with the desire to punch her face inside out. My whole waking existence was a fight for control now and I was losing. I swallowed, and turned my head back to face Newt.

"What do you want Newt?" I asked once more, my voice now not much more than a growl. Her smile widened as she saw just how far she was pushing my control. Bitch would have loved me to hit her.

Newt pulled on a line and I tensed, getting ready to run. Instead of a curse, a wave of Ever After billowed around Newt's petite form. When it receded it was not something I'd been prepared for, or even considered. Apparently Newt wasn't beyond the lowest forms of cruelty.

She was barefoot, toes poking out from the bottom of a pair of leather trousers. A red blouse contrasted perfectly with her pale skin. The hair was left free and wild. It was red and insufferably curly. She'd even done the eyes. The cruel glee in those emerald depths didn't match the illusion of Rachel Mariana Morgan, but it was close enough that my cock stirred again under the silk. It was so cruel, but I didn't move when she climbed on top of me again. When her hips ground against me I couldn't help thrusting in response and when she kissed me I thought I might die. Redwood, citrus and the bare hint of vampire incense swirled in the air around us.

When she pulled the line through me I didn't think about how it could kill me. Instead I ran my hands up her sides and tangled them in her hair, thrusting harder through the fabric of covers and the leather of her trousers. I pushed the energy back through her and she moaned into my mouth as her nails raked my sides. Yanking her head back I kissed and bit down her neck, inhaling her. Another jolt of line energy and now it was only the silk keeping my groin from hers. Her skin was soft under my fingers when I brought my hands down from her head. Her nipple was hot and hard under my tongue and teeth and her nails dug deep into my stomach.

In a single movement, I was on top. I wanted the silk gone. Her fingers were tangling in the hairs under my belly button as I ripped the fabric aside. It was all so beautiful, her body, and I wanted to taste and touch it all but she opened her legs and tugged the hairs. The intent was clear, I could explore later. Her cunt was tight and warm and wet as I thrust into it. It gripped me hard and I cried out, almost coming right then. She drew the line through me once more and left me spasming. I pulled it back and made her scream.

I fucked her then, hard and fast with her nails leaving bloody trails in my back and the lines singing through us. She met each thrust with her hips and writhed beneath me. I looked up into her eyes as I came and found them black. It was too late. My body continued where I couldn't and spilled itself inside Newt. She shuddered around me and I wanted to vomit. Then she was gone. I choked on screams of absolute and inarticulate rage and longing.

Later, after drowning myself in the shower, I found that I couldn't heal the marks she'd left on my body. They were cursed to heal naturally, not a sign of any pact, but their presence stung. There was no way I could re-enter the bedroom tonight and tomorrow I would burn everything in it, buy new furniture and start again. Then I was going to kill Newt.


	8. 8

My first thought was that kissing Trent was worlds apart from kissing Al. I instantly felt guilty and weird for comparing them but that was the moment Trent decided to gently nip my lip with his teeth. It felt really, really good. He was like a river under ice, all controlled and solid on the surface with a raging current underneath. The kiss was like that too, bare inches away from being something wild and savage that thirsted for violence. As his arms wrapped round my back Trent deepened the kiss, stroking my tongue with his own and drawing a little moan out of me. I molded my body into his and raised my own hands to his hair, loving the light silkiness of it under my fingers.

"Eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ww!" screeched several high pitched voices from behind me. Trent broke away from my mouth and I turned to see six or seven little blurs of light flee the room. Seconds later Jenks came racing past the door to shout at his kids for spying. I moved away from Trent before the pixy brought the kids back to apologise but only Jenks reappeared in the doorway. Trent stayed close enough to me that I could feel his body heat but I didn't have the energy to care.

"Uh, sorry Rache, Trent." Jenks muttered, looking at the ground and like he was trying very hard not to laugh. "I'll make sure the little shitlings don't bother you again. I'll do that now um… carry on… with whatever you were doing" He wasn't usually this contrite. Had Trent bought him a pot of honey or something? Looking back I saw that the elf in question had one eyebrow raised at the retreating pixy. Yeah, looked like Jenks had been bribed. Alone again, an awkward silence settled between Trent and I.

"Would you like the explanation or should I leave before you hit me?" asked Trent, a small smile playing round his mouth. His soft, warm, gently probing mouth. Tink's titties, was there anyone I wouldn't kiss back?

"Let's try the explanation and then see if I feel like hitting you." I answered. I was still a little shocked and didn't want him to leave just yet. Not that I thought his explanation would change anything because I was hopelessly confused about the whole thing.

"Okay then," Trent said, smoothing his hair down. "I came here tonight to make sure you were alright and, before you turn to violence, to ask you to dinner this week." Damn, cookie cutter knew me better than I thought.

"But then, when I head what happened, I figured that dinner wasn't such a good plan and I realised something. I've been trying to do this for weeks but things always interrupt and I think that's always the way it will be. Our lives are both so busy and things happen we have no control over. So, instead of waiting around, I decided just to show you."

This was still the real Trent. The whole speech had been rushed and, honestly, kind of cute to watch. The back of his neck and tips of his ears were flaming pink. I wasn't really sure what to say. It felt good to kiss him but Trent was a good kisser. I knew I liked him as a person and wanted him for a friend. I knew he pissed me off more than anyone else in my whole life. I'd enjoyed having pie with him. Was Trent the mature choice to make? Was that what grown up Rachel would do?

I'd thought of Al and made the comparison between kisses. Surely that wasn't the right thing to do if I was going to try and have a relationship with Trent?

"I don't know." I said, quietly, looking into Trent's eyes and wishing I did know. "I… need some time."

So this is what grown up Rachel did. It felt like eating shit.

"Right." Replied Trent and I saw him bury his real self again and become the businessman. "Well… let me know. I'll just go and see what Ivy needs from me this week and then I'll be off. The girls will want a story before their nap. I'll see you soon Rachel." Shit, he was hurt. I stifled the urge to go to him and kiss it away but that wasn't clever. Oh gods I didn't want him to be hurting but he'd walked out before I could change my mind. Perhaps he knew.

I waited until I head the front door close before shuffling back into the Sanctuary. Jenks opened his mouth but shut it again when he saw my face. Must've looked as bad as I felt. Ivy stood and gave me a quick squeeze before heading off toward the kitchen. I dropped onto the couch and Bis came to curl round my neck again. I'd been so nervous about what Trent had to say that I'd never noticed Bis leave. Having the gargoyle there felt good and right. He was also nice and warm which was a definite bonus. Jenks was busying himself by rounding up the smaller kids for their alphabet lesson. I could tell he was desperate to ask about Trent and I but there was no way I was dealing with that tonight.

When Ivy returned from the kitchen she held a steaming mug off coffee. Setting it down in my reach she curled back into her chair and flicked the TV on.

"Bad movie night?" she asked, flicking channels and acting as if there was absolutely nothing bad going on. I wanted to hug her again, she was being utterly perfect.

"Sure, you pick. Though if you could find something pre-turn that's completely inaccurate and racially insensitive…" I replied, taking a sip of my coffee. Nodding, Ivy settled on a random channel and started looking through the TV guide. It had little paper bookmarks in it. Of course it did, this was Ivy.

Letting myself lapse into a contended heap I wondered what I'd done to deserve these friends. Ivy wasn't handling Glenn and Daryl moving away very well at all but she still had time to go make me coffee and watch stupid movies. Jenks was mourning Matalina and trying to raise his kids alone and he still had the tact not to push me for answers. I wondered what it was I did for them and what they could possibly see in me that was so worth loving.

The whole week was boring as hell. Ivy stuck her rota up on the fridge and they all followed it with military discipline. The one time I tried to break curfew for a coffee at Juniors, Quen turned up in one of Trent's shiny black cars and threatened to carry me out of the shop. At least he let me keep my coffee. All my goodwill towards my dear and loving friends had evaporated by Wednesday and I just wanted them out of my business. Wayde was the worst, sniffing everyone I talked to for burnt amber. I think he put a potential client off because we didn't get the job. Jenks found that funny but it pissed me off. Sure, I was okay for money, but I hated sitting around on my ass all day waiting for the phone to ring. For once they hadn't just asked for Ivy straight away either.

I baked a lot, which made Wayde happy but meant I had to hide the stuff because Jenks' kids would eat it and get completely unmanageable. It was still too cold to turf them out into the garden and, being in the house all the time, they really started to grate on me. I'd even started being able to recognise and name all fifty four of them. Footprints in the butter? Jumoke. Penis drawn in the window condensation? Jamilla. Incessant questions about Trent? All of the damn brood. If I didn't know better I'd have accused their dad of putting them up to it.

My nights weren't a whole lot better. After TV with Ivy or Wayde, fetching me stuff from the kitchen no less, I had begun turning in early. It wasn't tiredness. It was the dreams. I would never had admitted it out loud but I'd started dreaming about red demon eyes and rumbling voices. When it was really bad I'd feel those big, hot hands on my body or his mouth on my nipples. I'd wake up moaning and hoping like hell that Ivy couldn't hear me. Rex had stopped sleeping in my bed and I was sure it was because my night time thrashings were disturbing her. Still, I went to bed early and hoped I'd dream. Stupid witch.

By now I was also pretty sure that I gave off a barely distinguishable tang of burnt amber, under the redwood and perfume du jour. Jenks swore he couldn't smell it, but I knew it was there. With that and the dreams it was becoming pretty damn hard to keep Al out of my thoughts. I felt like everything reminded me of him.

Come Friday night I'd given in to my inner sex fiend and brewed up a batch of contraceptive amulets. I'd waited until the pixies had gone for their midnight nap, despite the whole not spelling after midnight thing, and then asked Wayde to come sit in the kitchen with me whilst I made them. The benefit of Wayde was that he didn't ask questions about the spelling. Ivy had gone to see Rynn Cornell which was an added bonus. She'd have asked what I was doing and lying to Ivy was really, really hard.

The line of little wooden discs were sitting on the counter top and I felt painfully aware of them. There was one thing I wasn't sure about. The contraceptive charm was actually quite a high level earth spell. When you start playing with monthly cycles and witch hormones, things do start to get a little more complex. I'd never had a problem invoking them before, but I'd never liked the smell of burnt amber before either. If I was becoming more demon then there was a chance I wouldn't be able to invoke them. Asking Marshall felt completely embarrassing and impossible.

Deciding that action was better than sitting around worrying I grabbed a fingerstick and pricked my finger. Massaging drops of blood out and onto the charm, I waited desperately for the scent of redwood and a green glow. Gods, if it didn't work… To my eternal gratitude, the charm activated with a nice puff of redwood smoke. Not wanting to leave them in the cupboard and incite questions I threw the whole lot into my overnight bag, ready for Saturday.

I felt better knowing I was prepared but horribly nervous about what I was preparing for. It probably wouldn't happen. Right?


	9. 9

It was around four on Saturday morning and I was just drifting off to sleep when my nose began to tickle. Three sneezes later I was stumbling around my dark room, cursing and looking for my bag. I'd decided that the bag and mirror needed to stay with me mostly all the time seeing as we were on amber alert for demons. After stubbing my toe and hitting my funny bone on the wardrobe, I found the light switch. Another sneeze and I located the bag. I had to disentangle the mirror from the new charms and my keys before clumsily placing my fingers on the glyphs.

'Yes?' I thought at the caller and then started really hoping it wasn't Newt. Feeling the presence of Al's consciousness made me relax, if only slightly. Being rude to him was far safer than being rude to Newt.

'Were you sleeping little witch?' Thought Al and he was full of amusement. To my surprise, he also seemed to think I was cute when sleepy.

'Yeah. Haven't really got much else to do these days, seeing as you got me put under house arrest.' Being irritated helped cover up any thoughts I was having about the dreams, or Trent, or being anxious.

'Oh, terribly sorry dove' said Al, clearly not sorry at all. I could feel the smirk through our connection and thinking about punching him in the face just made it worse. 'How do you feel about coming over now? Tron has been asking after the car and I'd rather get it out of the way early, so you can recover before our lessons.'

Go over early? Well, it wasn't like I had any plans…

'Will I be safe? At Tron's house I mean.' I asked and winced as Al's thoughts circled around the concept of safety and our conversation about it last time I'd been with him. Yep, he was most definitely still angry with me.

'You'll be safe if I'm there Rachel.' Replied Al, putting a lot of emphasis on "safe". 'No one is going to try anything with me around. Besides, Tron is a coward and far more interested in cars than sex. Well, sex with women at any rate.' Huh, whadya know, a gay demon. I'd always thought they were into everything and everyone.

'Can I call you back in about five minutes?' I asked, wanting to talk to Jenks and Wayde. It would've been nice to ask Ivy too but I was fairly sure she wouldn't be around until after sun up.

'Five minutes only itchy witch.' You don't have an awful lot of darkness left. With that he broke the connection. I threw on last nights' clothes and went to see if anyone was still awake.

Jenks and Wayde were where I left them, watching some cheesy action movie together. The volume was down low but they could probably both hear it fine. Wayde was working his way through a family size bag of chips and some of Jenks' kids were watching him put away handful after handful in absolute fascination. They'd been fascinated by how much Wayde could put away since the first time they'd seen him eat. Every so often one of the kids would dart out to catch a crumb and it would get shared round. It wasn't fair, how come they would sit quietly whilst Wayde watched TV but not when I did it?

Jenks turned at the sound of my footsteps and buzzed over to me.

"What's up Rache? Were we keeping you awake?" he asked and settled on my shoulder.

"Oh, no. You guys are being great, really quiet." I replied and went to perch on the arm of the couch. Wayde muted the TV and quit eating. There were a few exclamations of disappointment from the kids but a buzz from Jenks shut them up.

"You smell nervous" stated Wayde, "What's happened? Did you get a call? Is Ivy ok?"

"As far as I know Ivy's fine. Al called me, he wants me to go over there now so I can do stuff for another demon without it interrupting my lessons" I said. At the mention of Al calling Wayde had stiffened and gone into bodyguard mode. Like that he became the man everyone took seriously even without pants on.

"And you're going?" said Jenks, "Why? We can keep you safe here and you shouldn't have to do anything for any damn demon, you don't owe them shit"

"I agree," added Wayde, "You're safe here. Who knows, it could be trap."

I tried to soften the irritation by telling myself that they were only looking out for me. It didn't really help but I wanted not to sound like a whiney teenager.

"Al can keep me safe too guys. One demon won't be a problem and he won't kick off anyway." I said and got raised eyebrows in response. "Look, I'm so bored here I could cry. It'll be nice to actually do something useful for a change. Besides, when they know I'm there they won't try anything here so the church will be safe." Wayde looked resigned. Jenks looked mad.

"The hell Rache, you don't need to jump into the fire to keep us safe. What about Ivy? She needs to be included in this." He demanded.

I was running out of time.

"I'll leave a note for Ivy. She'll be fine, she knows how bored I am. I need this Jenks, or else I'm going to do something really stupid like try a big curse or see just how fast the mini will go" Alright, the threats were low but so was bringing Ivy into it. "I'm going Jenks, I just wanted to let you know."

Jenks swore a blue streak before flying off and into the desk, taking the kids with him. Wayde sighed.

"I'll tell Ivy when she gets back. I still think you're an idiot, but you've always come back on Sunday so…" he trailed off, shrugging.

"Thanks Wayde." I said, before running back to the calling mirror.

Al was waiting in the kitchen when I finally got packed. In the end I'd just taken a bundle of clothes off the top of the dryer and hoped they fit together. The demon had insisted on coming into the kitchen to wait for me. He'd been poking through everything and already found the baked goods, deciding that they were coming with us. It was still odd to see Al, in his frock coat, eating a brownie. It just didn't fit somehow.

"Where's you gargoyle?" Al demanded and I sighed. I'd thought I was ready.

"Bis?" I called, searching the kitchen ceiling for him. He flapped in from the hallway and I guessed he'd been in the belfry. Either he'd felt the tug on the lines when Al turned up and had been waiting or he had really good hearing. It made me sad to see that he wasn't wearing the Disneyland shirt but I didn't say anything. He probably didn't want to give Treble an excuse to bitch at him. Settling on my shoulders, the gargoyle gave my neck a comforting squeeze. Bis had stopped talking in front of Al since Treble had told him some horror stories.

"Ah, good. All ready then?" Al asked, mopping up crumbs with a finger and putting the tubs of cookies and muffins under one arm. I nodded and took his hand, circle already up around my mind. The jump was smooth and it felt kind of good to be back in a line again. With Al holding my hand, I felt safer than I had done all week. It was odd to feel safer with the demon than away from him.

Al's spelling kitchen looked like an explosion in a charm store. Dirty bowls were heaped up round the fire pit and stray herbs were everywhere. It didn't look like a safe situation to be working in but it wasn't my kitchen so my caring was limited to whether or not Al was going to make me clean it up.

"Streaming pus buckets," Al exclaimed, "I told that damned worm to clean this up before I got back." Worm? Had Al bought Pierce back? What was Al making in here that he didn't want Ceri knowing about? My questions were answered when someone else popped into the room.

Assuming that it was an attacking demon I dived under a bench and began going through my bag for a splat gun. The sound of Al laughing brought my head up, cautiously, to see a skinny figure kneeling before the guffawing demon. Face burning, I left my hiding place and stuffed the splat gun back into my bag. The laughter was warm and rich, real, and hearing it didn't tick me off nearly as much as it should have done. Damn demon was getting far too familiar.

"Relax itchy witch, it's only the worm. I've been renting him as Ceri is being less than accommodating since I met her lovely daughters." Said Al, and the tone of his voice when he talked about Lucy and Ray made me feel sick. Tink's silk knickers, how could I have enjoyed his laugh? Al probably laughed like that when he killed puppies. Pushing down my disgust I looked down at "the worm". He must've been either a witch or an elf, and I was betting witch. Elves were rare enough now that most demons hung onto them. He shifted and I caught the scent of redwood under burnt amber. Witch then. He was skinny and the clothes hung off his bony frame. I couldn't see the face, it was hidden behind a curtain of lank blonde hair.

"Worm, say hello to your temporary mistress." Commanded Al. Mistress? There was no way I was ever going to order this poor man around.

The man stood and turned and I got a good look at his face. It was gaunt, like the rest of him, but must have been handsome once. Under the grime, his skin was pale and there were dark shadows under his eyes and high cheekbones. With feeding, he would have been what you called classically handsome, if not for the massive scar bisecting his face. It was old and raised in white skin. I guessed it was made by some kind of claw because sharp blades don't leave that much damaged.

"Good Morning Mistress Rachel. I am Worm, please call on me if you require anything." His voiced was cracked and broken and there was nothing in his eyes as he addressed me. He didn't meet my gaze and stared at a point in the air between us. I'd call him Worm for now, until I could ask his real name, but it didn't feel right. He reminded me so much of Ceri that I wanted to cry with the unfairness of it all. At least Ceri had been clean.

Al dismissed Worm with a wave of his hand and we were left in silence. Inside I was ripping myself to pieces over the contraception charms. How the hell could I even think about fucking this man? His whole people enslaved and abused my people, the elves and the humans. The made people like Worm and used them until there was nothing left.

Had Al wanted to do that to me?


	10. 10

A thick silence hung all around Al's kitchen. I was still reeling in disgust whilst he inspected just how much tidying up there was to do. I wasn't sure why he'd dismissed Worm, surely he still needed to clean the kitchen? Al pulled out a draw and began to root through it, chucking things every which way. Feeling very tired all of a sudden, I sank into my chair and stared into the fire, wishing I hadn't come. Swearing quietly, Al shoved the draw closed and moved onto the cupboard above. He was immediately assaulted by several loose saucepans and a ladle which caused him to swear even louder. All the rummaging was making me nervous, was Al going to make me swallow some eldritch concoction several centuries outside of its use-by date?

A hiss from the ceiling had Bis curling his tail tighter round my neck. Treble had arrived for him and apparently the smaller gargoyle didn't want to go.

"It's okay Bis," I whispered "She's promised not to hurt you. If she does I'll smash her into little bits kay?" I didn't know if Treble could hear me, but I didn't care. No one bullied my gargoyle. Bis reluctantly uncurled himself from my neck and launched towards Treble from the top of the chair. When Bis had landed, Treble took his hand and they both disappeared. I didn't even feel it.

Two cupboards, three draws and a glut of blue powder later, Al found what he'd been searching for. His back was turned so I couldn't get a look, but he was dusting blue powder off of it and muttering quietly to himself about Ceri's ridiculous need to tidy up. I still felt odd when he mentioned his past with the elf, not wanting to be reminded of what my friend had gone through. Or that someone I sort of liked had done it to her. Or that I sort of liked Al. None of my thoughts were good ones.

"Rachel, come here." Said Al, and it wasn't a request. The hell I would. I may have been exhausted but he was still a damn demon and I didn't belong to him. I wasn't Worm so Al could damn well say please.

"Ask nicely and I might consider it." I snapped back and wiggled deeper into the chair. Al tucked whatever-it-was-that-had been-worth-making-such-a-mess-for back into his pocket and disappeared. That got my attention. Sitting up, I looked around for him, but he wasn't in the kitchen anymore. Thinking I'd pissed him off again, I settled back down and closed my eyes.

Not a moment later the lines twinged and I could feel hot breath on my face. I froze. It had to be Al. Panic was telling me that no, Al had been summoned and this was another demon bent on dragging me away, but I couldn't listen. I was also too chicken shit to open my eyes, just in case.

"I don't ask nicely love. You should know that by now." Al whispered, centimetres from my lips. Invading my personal space? Calling me love? Yeah, the demon was pissed.

"Why do you always have to fight me? What can you possibly gain from constantly being a nuisance?" He was still dangerously close. I could smell burnt amber and, under that, a plethora of mixed spicyness. Al's breath was now falling against my cheek. I dared a peek through shuttered lids and found the demon with his eyes closed, face alongside mine, eyebrows furrowed. His hands were on the arms of the chair and gripping so tightly that the knuckles were white.

Al's eyes snapped open and I jumped. He shifted so that we were face to face once more. He wasn't wearing his glasses so I got the full power of his red gaze. It was dark and serious. The demon's whole body was tense, almost thrumming with energy, and a muscle in his jaw twitched erratically. Al looked every inch a man fighting himself for control. I made myself stay still and meet his gaze, even though every other part of me was wanted to look away.

"I'm not your slave Al." I said, working hard to keep my voice low and even. "Don't you think I deserve a little courtesy?" The feeling of his breath against my face was testing my control. It didn't smell bad anymore. It smelled familiar. What, in Tink's contractual hell, was wrong with me? The man who stood before me, had trapped me in the chair in fact, was a murderer, a slaver and a rapist. He took joy in torturing people to death with their worst fears. So why did I want to wrap myself around him?

"Please." Said Al, low and rumbling, meaning something else completely.

His eyes told me exactly what it was he was asking for and that, right now, he was serious about it. I remembered the last time Al had said please, when he was begging for my consent to kiss me. Swallowing hard, I'd licked my lips before I could stop myself. Al moved closer so that our lips were almost touching.

"Please."

When Al licked his own lips and said it again, I wanted to give in. My head was full of what we'd done together and just how good that had felt. Just one movement and I could be kissing him.

And then what?

Sleep with him, sure. Go make a car for Tron, maybe. Go home on Sunday after a wild weekend of demon sex? Probably not. Wake up in Al's arms on Monday afternoon and realise what I'd done. Dead cert. All which leads to regretting it for the rest of time and Al never wanting to let me out of his sight because, in some sick demon thought process, I'd belong to him now. I'd seen how Al treated his things and there was no way I was ending up like that.

Then again, it was just one small movement. Just one kiss.

Al must have seen the war going on behind my eyes because he licked his lips again and pressed his forehead to mine. Our noses were touching and I couldn't focus on his eyes anymore.

"Rachel, please." That low rumble sent shivers down my spine. Was Al begging me to kiss him? How much could one kiss hurt anyway? Just one. It wasn't as if it would be the first time… No.

Yes. Giving up, I closed the distance and met Al's mouth with my own. He responded, hungrily, devouring my mouth like it was oxygen. I put my arms around his neck and Al pulled me up from the chair, moving his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks. It was an oddly tender gesture from him. Then there were fingers on the site of my scar and I lost any sense of the world outside what I was feeling.

In between the delicious sensations of Al's tongue against mine and him licking the roof of my mouth, in short sharp flicks, I felt one hand leave my neck. The other was still stroking over where my scar had been and applying pressure every so often. The stray hand found my neck again and then I felt the leather. Before I'd had a chance to think about it, something cool and soft had clicked into place around my neck. There was a fizz of line energy and I pulled back from Al. Feeling my neck I found a leather collar there. There was some kind of metal disc at the front but otherwise no sign of a clasp or tie. The metal tingled against my skin and I realised that, in my mind, I could feel a dim presence. It was Al, like when I used my calling mirror and he answered. The demon himself had backed away a little and was smirking.

"It suits you, itchy witch" he said, smile growing wider by the second as I got angrier.

"Al," I growled "What did you do?" my hands were shaking badly and Al just kept smiling. In my mind he felt victorious and smug, glowing with self-congratulation.

"What did I do?" asked Al, chuckling quietly, "Why my dear, I do believe I made you mine."


	11. 11

"Yours?!" I exploded and Al winced slightly. I threw a punch at the demon's jaw but he caught my wrist and held it tight in one meaty hand. Struggling only made Al grip harder and he drew me toward him with frightening, inescapable strength. Closing his other arm around my chest, Al held onto me and began to explain in a low, calm voice.

"The collar allows me to jump you without your permission. It also functions as a panic button, allowing you to summon me instantly in a time of crisis. In addition, it allows me to monitor you like one would through a scrying mirror. It's how we keep track of… troublesome familiars." His voice was like velvet against the back of my neck and I nearly forgot to be angry. Put that way, it sounded like a reasonable precaution against kidnap, until you got to the "troublesome familiars" part.

"Al, I'm not your familiar. I don't belong to you and you can't just… trick me into wearing this thing! Why the hell couldn't you ask first?" It felt like talking to a wall. A wall made of flesh and magic and velvet that I'd just made out with. Stupid witch.

This was probably what Al had intended all along, even before the court case. I wouldn't have put it past him to have been plotting this since before I'd "died". I went limp, hoping Al might release me if I played along. Not that I was sure what I was going to do after I got loose.

My sudden relaxation didn't seem to faze the demon at all. Al adjusted his position to support both our weights and continued to hold me tight. With my back tight against his chest I began to notice just how heavily Al was breathing. It didn't make sense. How could he be struggling for control after making such a damn good show of it? If Al had me exactly where he wanted me, why did he sound so damn… wound up. Even now the feeling of his breath as it slid over my neck was making my legs tremble.

"You don't make it easy witch." Al growled into my neck and I fought the urge to arch back into him.

"Don't you understand it yet? What you're doing to me?" He demanded and my head swam. What I was doing to him? Al was the one in control here, not me. I opened my mouth to tell him as such but it was then that the demon chose to bite my neck, right where the scar had been. I forgot to fight and bucked in his arms, a long and tortured moan escaping my chest. The metal disk on the collar burned and I could feel Al's mind behind it. What I saw there made me moan again and I finally understood.

"Understand now?" the demon rumbled, all trace of the upper class gone from his accent. Nodding only made him bite harder but I didn't care. I wanted him to. The vamp saliva found all my reason and crushed it into nothing under waves of pure pleasure. My breath was coming and going in ragged gasps and there was pressure building in my groin. The hand at my wrist found the other mark, the one Al had given me that first night in the library, and the demon dug his nails into it hard.

"You're going to beg me to end this Rachel." Al said, pausing in between bites. "You're going to give me everything you have, and then everything else. No more games." Somewhere deep within my mind, alarm bells were ringing, but I couldn't hear them. All I could hear was the command and that was all I wanted.

Keeping the pressure of his nails on my wrist, Al released the arm around my chest. Without the demon to hold me up I collapsed to my knees on the stone floor. I could barely breathe through the waves of ecstasy that radiated out from the scars. What air I could get was filled with the scent of burnt amber and spice. Al dropped my wrist and moved to crouch in front of me. The momentary break in contact allowed me a few seconds to order my thoughts.

This was in no way good. As Al was crouching down and removing his gloves my fogged brain tried to think of an escape. No matter how much the vampire/demon chemicals were telling me I wanted this, I knew I'd regret it. If I let Al take control like this, if I let him own me, then getting out of it would be damn near impossible. I wasn't sure that I'd want to get away. In my head I saw myself slipping into a haze of pleasure and submission, a voluntary slave in Al's bed. Tempting as that was, it wasn't me. It wasn't the person I'd fought so hard to become. Bringing Ivy to the forefront of my mind, I steeled myself.

When Al extended an ungloved hand to stroke my cheek I nearly lost it entirely. His skin was burning hot and the searing caress forced another gasp from my throat. Lifting my head, I met Al's gaze, and it took what little breath I had away. The alien eyes were predatory, pupils heavily dilated, brows lowered in a bestial concentration. His mouth was slightly open and Al's tongue played lightly across his teeth. My resolve faltered dangerously. I wanted to feel his teeth on my neck again and let the beast consume me. The demon's fingers traced the path of my jaw before his thumb brushed over my lips.

"No." Even to me my voice sounded laboured. Thinking felt like swimming through tar, but I was getting there. Al froze.

"Tron needs his car." I blurted out with absolutely no decorum. Hell, I was proud I'd managed to say it at all. A small smirk quirked at the side of Al's mouth. His fingers began to caress my face again, making slow circles along the line of my jaw. I couldn't help but lean in for more. The demon chuckled, the deep rumble throbbing through me, and it suddenly became hard to remember why I was bothering to think.

"Oh my little itchy witch, even now you're fighting. It would be irritating if it wasn't so damn… sexy." The movement of Al's mouth had me completely transfixed. He got to his feet slowly and brought me with him, using the hand on my jaw to guide my face up and towards his own. Curling his other arm round me, the demon pulled me into him and began to lay kisses along my cheekbone.

"Got to make the car." I murmured, the words not really making sense. Al's mouth found my earlobe and nipped it gently.

"Are you absolutely sure it can't wait princess?" He rumbled and I throbbed in response. Despite every single nerve in my body screaming at me to just give in, I nodded. Al sighed and gave my ear another nip before drawing back to look me in the eyes.

"I am entirely too soft on you itchy witch. You deserved everything I was about to do to you." The wicked glint in his eyes nearly changed my mind for me, but I held firm. My head had cleared slightly with standing up, I felt more like an equal.

"You brought me here early to work, so that's what I'm gonna do," I said, sounding more or less like myself. "We can deal with the other stuff later."

"Is that a promise?" Al smirked, reaching to tuck an errant curl of my hair back behind my ear. Damn it all to hell, but I still wasn't strong enough to put a stop to him touching me. It felt too good. Stupid witch.


End file.
